After the forever
by Beau N. Aero
Summary: Bella divorces Edward and now lives with Reneesme in a little town in Alaska. She lives a calm life but everything changes when she comes home after a date and discovers that Reneesme and her babysitter, Jacob, are gone. Can the Cullens help find them?
1. Chapter 1

**After the "forever"**

1. Different

"Now remember: Your friends are picking you up tomorrow morning," I said, "I'll set your alarm for 6 o'clock. I won't be home so you have to make your own breakfast."

Renéesme's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You can't hunt," I explained, rolling my eyes.

Renéesme pouted. "Why not? The deer in our backyard are excellent. I even caught a grizzly bear once-"

I touched my cold fingers to her lips. She relaxed a little and looked down. I smiled.

"We've practiced this several times, Nessie," I said slowly, "Your little friends will get scared if they see you sucking the blood out of an animal. Just eat some regular human food tomorrow, okay?"

Renéesme sighed and nodded.

"Good." I pulled her covers up and settled them on top of her. I smoothed her bronze hair with my pale fingers before turning off the light. I was about to leave when I heard her whisper, "Mommy?"

I turned around. "Yes?"

"When will I see Daddy again?" she asked.

I inhaled unnecessarily. It always saddened me when she asked me about her father. We would never see him or that little town again. Never.

"I don't know, sweetie." I shut the door behind me.

I crept down the stairs silently. The new cabin we lived in was eerily silent, even for a vampire. Sure, I could here the owls and small critters outside the house but other than that, all was still.

I entered the kitchen and opened up my laptop that lay on the counter. I clicked on Internet Browser and searched for the new school that I would be teaching at: Bruno de Hezeta Middle School (BHMS). I would be teaching an English class.

Before I divorced Edward, I had decided to learn how to become a schoolteacher. I'd always wanted to teach, since I was a little human girl. I got the opportunity to work with kids a couple of years older than Renéesme and teach them how to be successful in life. I got my credential quickly (vampires know basically everything) and I started looking for a teacher vacancy at local schools. I started substitute teaching at some of the schools in Forks and in adjacent cities.

For a while, I really enjoyed being with Edward. He was the love of my life, my heart's desire, my trophy of immortality- I could go on and on and write a beautifully written romantic poem. Then one day, while I was hunting with him and Reneesme, I asked myself: "Why do I love him?" It took a long time for me to find the answer to this rather rhetorical question. After spending a week of examining my behavior around him and spending time with him constantly, I discovered my subtle dilemma. I only _loved _Edward because he was handsome, gorgeous, and had a heart-breaking smile. Was this love? Or was this just admiration? No one loves just because of looks. They love because of how the couple bond and what they like about their personalities. I only loved Edward's body and beautiful face. This was not true love.

I eventually started to lose interest in spending time with Edward and hung out with Alice most of the time. When Edward would lean in for a kiss and I would turn away, he would get angry, asking why I wouldn't kiss him. I never told him the real reason and made up lame excuses. I was always the only one to pick Renéesme from school and take her to play dates. I told Edward not to come.

After a while, Edward started to get obsessive about me. Wherever I went, he would go to. He would stalk Renéesme at school and followed us on our way home. I would never leave his sight and I could never talk about anything privately with Alice.

I wanted to leave. I was wasting my abilities and talents for this guy who I didn't even love. He loved me, but I don't know why. It was still a mystery to me. I could be a strong, independent vampire who didn't need a husband to enjoy my immortal life. No. All I needed was my daughter, Renéesme. I felt bad for taking full custody over her and catching a plane to Annette, Alaska after the divorce papers were signed. Edward was reluctant, of course, but he wanted me to be happy. (I hope). I just wanted a peaceful life with my daughter and without the painful debates that went on inside my head.

As I scanned the website, I found the events that were coming up at the school and my name on the list of teachers. It said, _Ms. Isabella Cullen- 7__th__ grade English teacher_. I hoped Edward wouldn't randomly go on this school website and find my name. Then he would know where I live… Not good.

I hoped the teachers wouldn't find me too different. I was, after all, going to be nineteen years old for the rest of my life. I probably wouldn't look like a real educated adult, more like a model. When I took the tour of the school, I saw that most of the teachers were middle aged and did not come right out of college (like me). I didn't get the opportunity to introduce myself to them because the principal just kept gawking at me and stuttering every sentence. I didn't learn much evidently.

The phone started ringing. I went over to my purse by the TV and got my cell phone. Jacob was calling. I could trust him.

"Hi, Jacob."

"Hi, Bella. How are you doing?" asked Jacob.

"I guess I'm fine. Tomorrow I start my new job."

"A new job? Interesting. So, where have you been? You just left that day and I never saw you again. What happened?"

I sighed in the phone. "It's a long story. But before I tell you anything, just know that I trust you more than anything in the world right now."

"I know," he said.

I hesitated. "I live in Annette, Alaska. I have Renéesme with me and I'm getting a teaching job here."

"Wow. You've gone far."

I laughed. "I know you really love Renéesme and you're her best friend. You can come here any time."

"Thanks, Bella." I could tell he was smiling.

"Alright. I'll have to get ready for my lesson tomorrow. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

I clicked the phone off and collected the binders I needed for my first lesson.


	2. Chapter 2

2. First Day

That day, I walked to school. Well, more like ran at lightning speed. I walked into school a little frazzled. I had concentrated on my lesson all night, focusing my sharp eyes on the small print of the paper. Ugh. Of course, today was mostly a day for introductions on my part.

The school was a one story building set up in a clearing in a rather gloomy forest. A couple of potted plants were in the center and the classrooms were all around them, forming an incomplete square. The rooftops were a strange maroon color and the doors to all the classrooms were brown. The ground was hidden by a mysterious mist that clung near the edges of classroom doors and the plants. The school almost reminded me of one of those "Little House on the Prairie" books that I've never read.

I walked across the small campus and found the classroom I would be teaching in. It had my name posted on the window. The inside of the classroom was dark and eerie, even when I turned on some of my lights. At my new desk, there was a small balloon from the staff, welcoming me to the school. I smiled crookedly and wrote my name on the whiteboard.

_Bbbrrrrriiiiiinnnnnngggg! _Startled, I turned around and noted the students (who I think were sixth graders) trudging into the classroom. With bags under their eyes, they fell in their desks, probably expecting another boring day at school. I doubted that. I tried to bury my face in a book behind my desk and wait for the final bell to ring that signaled the official start of class. More students came in and didn't even glance in my direction as they dumped themselves in their seats and took out their binders, which I assumed were from their previous teacher.

_Bbbrrrrriiiiinnnnnngggg!_

"Good morning, students," I announced, walking around my desk and up to the very front of the class, "My name is Ms. Cullen and I will be your new English teacher."

At the exact same time, I calculated that twenty-seven jaws dropped. The one jaw out of the entire class that did not drop, not counting myself, belonged to a boy who was texting on his cell phone and doing a terrible job at hiding it. Disgruntled by this fact, I stormed up to his desk in the back of the class and snatched the phone from his hands. The boy's eyes narrowed at his empty hands and he lifted his head to look at me. The narrowing ceased and his eyes grew the size of ping pong balls and his heart beat dangerously quickened by the second when he examined my perfect face.

"You will not be texting in my class," I said to him clearly, entrancing him with my irresistible golden eyes.

"I-I-I wo-won't text. I p-p-promise Ms. Cullen," he stuttered stupidly, not taking his eyes off my complexion. He was brave compared to most humans I had confronted. I heard a couple of girls in the class giggle.

"Very well," I said nonchalantly, looking away, "You are officially on my bad side, Mr…"

"Connor."

"Mr. Connor. Now please pay attention. I've got my eye on you," I said, walking back to the front of the class.

"Oh good Lord, that sounds _nice_," I heard Connor mutter to his friend. With my super hearing, I heard them smack fists and turn to look at my back. I rolled my eyes. _Humans._

* * *

I sat in the teacher's lounge, dragging pieces of lettuce in my salad with a fork, never taking a bite. It was lunchtime for the children and the teachers after periods one through four. A couple of the women teachers were heating up their filets and what not in the microwaves behind the lunch tables in the room.

The classes that I had taught so far had gone very well. I wasn't sure if the students were listening as I told them the modified story of my life. After each class, I checked to make sure that the boys had wiped their drool off their desks, which they did. I had only one more class to go before I would get to go pick up Renéesme at her elementary school.

The door opened and in came another teacher, this time a male. He was fairly attractive, with combed brown hair and twinkling blue eyes. He looked up at me, smiled, and sat down across from me. What shocked me the most was that his heart rate did not accelerate at all.

"Hi, I'm Rick Daniels, the Algebra and Pre-Algebra teacher. I didn't get to introduce myself when you were getting the famous 'new teacher tour'. The principal seemed to be hogging you that day," he said with a quick, shy smile.

I grinned. He was really friendly and he was handsome. Not like an unbelievably beautiful vampire, which would remind me too much of Edward. I don't like those kinds of guys any more.

"I'm Bella Cullen. It's nice to meet you. I'm the new English teacher for sixth and seventh graders. I like your shirt," I said to make conversation.

Rick looked down at his tropical shirt and said, "Oh this? I've had it for years. Ever since I went to Hawaii…"

Our conversation went on until the bell rang. Rick was pretty funny and complimented me on my teeth. (How ironic is that?). I told him the modified version of my life that I had told my students and he told me about how he was raised in Alaska and graduated from NYU with a major in Algebra and Calculus. He moved back to Alaska from New York (where he'd had a nice teaching job) to take care of his sick mother. When his mother passed away a few years later, he stayed in Annette and got a teaching job at BHMS.

Rick gave me his phone number so that I could call him if I had any questions about the teaching status, but I think he just wanted me to call just to talk, which I would also have liked to do.

After my classes, I ran to Renéesme's elementary school and we went hunting through the woods near our house. When he had satisfied our hunger enough to survive the next few days in a human populated environment, we ran home and discussed our days at the two different schools.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Sorry it's short. It'll be longer next time. Review please! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, my faithful readers. I am happy to inform you that my Oireachtas is over (try to figure out what that means!) and I got a new laptop (a Macbook!) Since I do not have to train as much anymore, I have more time to write my stories and I can write them anywhere I want!**

**Also, BHMS online made the grave mistake of saying that Ms. Cullen was only a seventh grade teacher. She teaches sixth and seventh English. Please excuse the website's error.**

**Disclaimer: The characters of this story are owned by Stephenie Myer. I own the plot.**

**Enjoy this next chapter!**

3. A Surprise

I continued my teaching with ease and without any disruptions. Every weekday, I would leave early in the morning to the middle school and Reneesme would get picked up by her carpool and taken to a peaceful day at her new school. There were no suspicions among the teachers at BHMS. There had actually been many friendly faces and compliments of my teaching habits and my appearance. My students were able to pay attention in class and score well on my tests. This was probably the case because although I had a striking face and body, I also had an intimidating aura when some students were disrespectful. After the first couple of weeks, the students remained respectful.

The thing about my new life I liked the most was my relationship with Mr. Daniels. We became very good friends during the past two months and he would drive me back to my house if we finished with work at the same time. I got to talk to him a lot during the lunch breaks in the teacher's lounge. We actually had a lot in common, other than the fact that I'm a bloodsucking monster. I even asked him about his favorite drink and was sad to find out that he enjoys lattes. Anyway, Rick was always very heartwarming and knew how to make me laugh. So far, I quite liked this new life.

Jacob would occasionally leave messages on my phone and, if I had time, would reply to them with as much information about my new life as I could express in words. I mentioned how Reneesme was having a great time in Alaska and how I was making excellent new friends. The only thing, I told him, that bothered me was that I had not met any vampires recently. I guess that after living with a whole family of vampires that I would see them more often around my new home. I mean, the weather was perfect for a vampire to lurk and prey on innocent citizens in this small town. I hadn't seen the sun for at least four weeks and saw raindrops like tiny teardrops drag down my windowpane every morning. Very rarely, I would see a suspiciously pale person with the glide only a predatory animal could have. Still, I expected to see more. I guess I should have been happy that no one was coming to harm my new neighbors and friends at the middle school.

What also worried me was the fact that Edward could read minds so easily. Even though he was incapable of reading my mind, he could definitely be able to catch Reneesme's thoughts if he walked near enough. I hoped that never telling him where I would be living with Reneesme was childish on my part. At the time, I just wanted to be rid of Edward as much as possible, unless dealing with child support and even that made me wary of him. Edward was probably able to do anything if he set his mind to it and was determined enough to try to find his daughter and ex-wife.

So, in conclusion to my blabber, my life was perfect… at the moment anyway.

"Jillian, what is the significance of Tom Sawyer not confronting the men in the graveyard?" I asked of a student on a dreary Monday morning.

Jillian, the girl with frizzy, almond brown hair tied in a lazy ponytail in the front row, slowly lifted her head from where it had been resting on her folded arms. Her eyes were glazed and her gaping lips forming an upside "U" as she tried to quickly focus on the board.

"Uhh…" she moaned. I disrupted her rapt train of thought.

"Jillian, are you all right. You seemed to be sleeping through my entire lecture."

Jillian shrugged her shoulders and muttered, "Just stayed up late watching the news." She was about to lower her head again when I, quick as lightning, got to her desk and gently nudged her head up to face me.

"I'm surprised you weren't watching Disney Channel or something of the sort. What was so interesting on the news?"

Jillian's eyes seemed to dilate as she focused on my probing eyes. I assumed that they might have been a bit intense for such a simple question so I lightened the mood by forming a small smile on my soft pink lips. Flashing my pearly whites seemed to improve her concentration.

"There was a strange killing right outside the city. It looks like that an animal attacked a thirty year old man as he was walking to a gas station. There are slits on his neck and scratches on his body showing there was a struggle."

"Oh yeah! I heard about that!" shouted Connor from the back, "Scientists investigated the body and they said it has barely any blood left from the fight."

I went rigid. This was a clear sign of a vampire attack. I hadn't seen any vampires around here in weeks. Whoever attacked this person seemed to not care how obvious the markings were.

I stared at Connor. "When did this killing happen?"

"The person who found the body was walking by at around noon yesterday," Connor states with his eyebrows raised.

"Hmm… Yes, well. Let's get back to the lesson shall we," I said quickly dismissing the topic. I knew only one thing for sure about this murder: There was definitely not a Cullen in town.

I sat comfortably in Rick's car, my worries whisked out of my head like a candle put out by a single breath. It always smelled so nice in here and my life always seemed easier when I was in this now familiar car. The only noises to be heard were the _pat pat _of the raindrops on the windshield and the gentle piano music playing on the radio. Like me, Rick enjoyed listening to classical music.

As I was on my way to lunch that day, some of the students on campus were discussing the news about the recent murder. I guess it was a bit exciting for some of the students. Nothing very major ever happened in this town. I really hoped that it wasn't a bad vampire that I had come across before that committed this crime.

Luckily, Rick Daniels came to my classroom after school and asked if I needed a ride home. He said he needed to go to the grocery store near my house anyway. I had smiled and thanked him, walking beside him as we came to his little gray car.

"So, how was your day today?" asked Rick, disrupting the comfortable silence.

I opened my eyes and grinned at him almost childishly. "Fine. Disturbing news about that murder. It was stuck in my head all day. It makes me wonder what kind of animal attacked that man."

I waited to see his reaction. He nodded his head and looked out onto the road, clearly not interested in this conversation.

"I don't know what kind of animal it was. But it seems to be a strange method of attack to me."

"Why is that?" I asked curiously.

"I guess I've never seen the blood almost completely sucked out of somebody's body before," he explained, his eyes still staring straight ahead, "I think most animals would try to attack more near the stomach than near the neck, you know?"

"Yah," I whispered absent mindedly, trying not to reveal too much.

Rick Daniels chuckled under his breath. "Maybe there's a vampire on the loose or something, huh?" He laughed a little louder and looked at me with pleasure in his eyes. That look made me loosen a bit about him saying the word 'vampire'. He didn't actually believe in creatures such as myself. I could relax.

"Better go find its coffin!" I said, playing with him a little.

Mr. Daniels laughed harder and patted my arm. Chills went up my spine. Don't worry. They were good chills.

"Ah, here we are," Rick announced, pulling up to my driveway.

"Thanks for the ride, Rick," I said, opening the door to the car.

"O wait!"

I turned to look at Mr. Daniels expectantly. He twiddled his thumbs awkwardly and stared straight in front of him, refusing to meet my eyes. I had never seen him look so uncomfortable with me before.

He sighed and turned to meet my eyes. "The ice rink is opening up at the shopping center this weekend. I was wondering if you wanted to go ice skating with me this Saturday at around noon. I thought it might be something you would enjoy."

I was nonplussed. Rick Daniels had just asked me on a date, something that I had been waiting for for three whole months. I don't think I could have been any happier.

"I would love to! Thanks for the invite. I'll see you tomorrow!" I said excitedly, hugging him and hopping out of the car. I glanced behind me and saw Mr. Daniels with a lovely blush creeping up his cheeks. It just seemed to only make him sweeter.

He drove away and I walked into the kitchen, where I found Reneesme doing her homework at the table. She looked up from her work and smiled at me.

I sat in the chair next to hers and described my plan for Saturday. She nodded although she had a frown on her face. She touched my arm lightly and gave me visions of what she felt of the whole ordeal. I could see that she wasn't very excited about me going on a date with someone other than her dad but she would comply with having a babysitter that night. She preferred Jacob.

"That's a great idea, Nessie," I told her approvingly.

I got up and went to grab the phone. I dialed Jacob's cell phone number and waited while the ringing intoned.

"Jacob Black," said a happy voice.

"Hey Jake, it's Bella. I have an opportunity for you to come and visit Nessie."

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Yah, I need a babysitter this Saturday and I was wondering if you would do the honors."

"That's fine. I've always wanted to go to Alaska anyway. What do you need a babysitter for?" he asked.

"I have a date at the shopping center with a friend of mine. I need someone to take care of Reneesme for me."

I heard Jacob chuckle on the other line. "I'm sure guys are just falling all over you in that little town of yours- especially since you're single. Does the poor bloke know that you have a daughter?"

"O shut up, Jake. He likes me for who I am and that's what counts, right?" I said.

"Right right. Okay, I'll see you on Saturday."

"See you, Jacob." I hung up the phone. I walked back to Reneesme and sat down. She looked at me curiously with an Edward like smirk planted on her too innocent face.

"What did Jacob say?" she prodded. I knew she was referring to when I told him to shut up. Sometimes, Reneesme reminded me of a normal teenage girl, even though she was only six.

"O nothing," I said nonchalantly, waving my hand. She giggled and touched my hand. She wanted to go hunting.

"I want to compete with the vampire that killed that man," she giggled, jumping up from her seat and running up the stairs. I watched her run up and sighed. How would she know what it was for sure? I didn't even know.

"Alright. I want to go hunting, too. Be ready in five minutes!" I shouted after her.

I could not wait until Saturday.

**(A/N) Who or what is killed that man? You'll find out soon enough! Just keep on reading and reviewing. Thanks! **


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